APPASSIONATA
by La Lune de Fraise
Summary: Allen Walker and Yuu Kanda are students at the prestigious Black Order School of Music. They both love music, playing their intstruments, and learning pieces. Despite all of the things they have in common, why do they hate each other so much? ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Hey everybody! I've started a new story on one of my favorite subjects: music. It's AU, and for convenience's sake, everyone's more or less the same age and Allen doesn't know anybody. Black Order School of Music is more like a college if you really look into it, but "BOSM" sounds cooler than "BOMC," so there! XD

--

Sunlight streamed in from behind the cracks of dark, maroon curtains, dappling the sleeping, white-haired youth laid haphazardly across the nearby bed. The boy's body was clothed in loose cotton pajamas with a checkered print and sprawled on top of his sheets rather than under them. Mouth open, gentle snores echoes quietly throughout the room. But despite his disheveled appearance, the boy had a joyous, almost euphoric smile on his lips as he slumbered, and in his red left hand, he tightly held an old, creased letter, as if he were afraid it would disappear.

In the letter it read as the following:

Dear Mister Allen Walker,

After reviewing countless audition tapes and videos, we are pleased to notify you that you have passed the semi-finals in our new student body selection process. However, before you commence celebrations, know there is another cycle yet to be completed; the finals.

Because our educational facilities are very prestigious and expect the most from our pupils, we have decided to make our last round composition-based. Each candidate must compose a piece, and afterwards on August 1st, all semi-finalists will meet at 9:00 AM at John Laurent Hall in Manhattan to present a concert. All participants' performances will be judged and in front of the general public, but that is not to say we expect anything less than perfection from you.

Good luck in the finals!

Komui Lee

Dean

Black Order School of Music

Birds chirped noisily outside and an alarm clock rang suddenly, making the white-haired boy give a jerk. He yawned and then noticed the letter in his clutches. Allen Walker grinned. Today was August 1st, and a very special day indeed.

Within half an hour, Allen was ready to head out of his shabby apartment in Brooklyn. It was only 7:45, but he figured that coming early would be beneficial. He descended the housing estate's stairs, waving good bye to the woman at the front desk. Dressed in a simple black suit with a matching silk tie, he took nothing with him besides a thin notebook.

Once safely on the subway, he opened it and leafed through briefly. Ah, here was his pride and joy. Simply titled "Innocence," here was the song he'd worked on endlessly for two months since the letter from the Black Order Music School arrived at his doorstep. _I worked my butt off to pass the couple of rounds. I'm not going to give up now!_

BOSM was Allen's dream school, the place he aspired towards getting accepted to. Although he was quite intelligent, music had been his number one priority, his passion, and he loved it more than anything in the world. He'd spent years honing his skills, welding them, working to achieve true mastery of his instrument. Believe me, he was no prodigy; all the hours of practice weren't easy. Yet at seventeen years old, Allen Walker could say that he was quite accomplished in his field.

_Ding!_ Allen looked up to see he was at his stop. Butterflies pranced in his stomach. Actually, they seemed more like boulders rolling around. Boulder with wings. Very_ heavy_ boulders with wings. He got up shakily, thankful for his light breakfast. If he consumed his usual amount, he'd most likely throw up.

Soon, he was standing before John Laurent Hall, at 8:35 in the morning, about to meet his fate. Would he make it? Would he not? Regardless, he walked in quickly, not bothering to take his time, and entered the lobby where a small crowd of people were standing. Some had black cases with them in an assortment of sizes and materials. Others were still madly scribbling on pieces of sheet paper while glancing anxiously at their watches. Many were looking nervous, and Allen could completely empathize.

At 8:45, a man in a white uniform and beret strode up to them and adjusting his glasses. He held a clip-board in his hands and halted in front of the mass of people. Everyone stopped what they were doing albeit the few still completing their pieces and turned to him.

"Hello! It's wonderful to see you gathered here. My name is Komui Lee, Dean of the Black Order School of Music." He coughed briefly and then said, "The concert will begin shortly in fifteen minutes. In that time, I will be issuing your numbers and performance arrangements in their orders, respectively. When I call your name, go down the right hallway and into the open door backstage." Allen held his breath, hoping that he wouldn't be first.

"Henry Woodson!" The first candidate stepped up and left. Allen sighed with relief. A few more names were summoned, and the owners too departed.

"Janice Evans!" A curly hair woman got up.

"Err, Lavi!"

"Alright!" cheered a red-haired teen. Oddly enough, he had on some sort of head-scarf as well as an eye-patch and swung a large case over his shoulder, rumpling his suit. "Just finished my song."

Allen raised his eyebrow. Was this guy serious? Before another he could think again, Komui spoke once more. "Yuu Kanda!"

A tall person with long, ebony hair stood, sporting their instrument. Allen could see a face with clear, pale skin and delicate features, sporting a pair of deep, onyx eyes. _Wow, she's so beautiful_, thought Allen, stunned, _but that name is seems really familiar to me. I wonder if I've heard it before_. Then Yuu Kanda turned, revealed he was wearing a suit, had no breasts, and crushed a young man's dreams in one foul swoop.

At last, "Allen Walker!" He was fourteenth and almost the last person. It was nearly time to start, and Allen took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. He went backstage and received a program with all of the performers' names and pieces listed. He flipped to Yuu's and noticed his composition was christened, "Mugen." What could that mean? Then he went to Lavi's part out of sheer interest and saw the title, "Call of the Hammer." Abruptly, Allen was jerked from his reveries when the staccato sound of clapping reverberated in the Hall. The concert had begun.

Allen shuffled to where the other people were, surrounding a screen broadcasting the show. The first player, a pianist, wasn't special, and his piece sounded much like Chopin's Revolutionary Etude. Nonplussed, Allen glanced back at the crowd. Lavi and Yuu were together, standing apart from the others, Lavi hands behind his head and Yuu with his arms crossed. Not far away, a pretty Asian girl was comforting a crying woman with curly black hair. A punk-looking man with white streaks in his locks glared edgily into the distance. In an even more secluded area, a small, slender pixie-like girl stood by a man who was wearing a tuxedo and a jaunty top hat. They both had dark skin.

At once, the sheer competitiveness of the situation hit Allen, and he reviewed "Innocence" another time. He needed to make it into BOSM, the best music school in New York and possibly the world. He needed to become a musician.

"Oh shit, Yuu-chan. I'm next. Gimme a kiss for good luck?" Allen's ears perked and he raised eyebrows, alarmed at Lavi.

"No way in hell, fucking Usagi. Fail, so I can finally get away from you. And don't call me 'Yuu-chan.'"

"Aw, c'mon, Yuu-chan. Stop being such a stick in the mud." An aid signaled for Lavi to get ready. "Crap. Whatever. I think I can remember the notes." _How? _Thought Allen, _didn't you just finish it, like, at 8:55? _

"Che." Yuu (Or was it Yuu-chan now?) looked away. "Don't move your bow so much, Usagi. It looks like you're having a seizure."

Lavi looked surprised. "Sure, Yuu-chan. Thanks."

Allen turned back to the broadcasting screen. Lavi was a cellist. He had gotten on stage and seated himself with a surprising seriousness. He closed his eyes briefly, picked up his bow, and began to play. Allen was shocked at the variety of textures Lavi was able to capture in the full, calm sound of his cello. A repeating passage of three long strokes on the D-string, animated and lively, truly did sound like a hammer. As Lavi moved onto a tender passage, Allen was reveled in the romanticism of each note, complex and clear. The boy clapped to himself when the piece was over and Lavi had exited. Then he sharply inhaled and looked up. Kanda was gone. He snapped his head back and looked at the screen as the long-haired man walked on.

Allen's jaw dropped. The music, the music was marvelous. Yuu was an incredible violinist. His notes were like crystals, his phrases like rushing water, refreshing and wonderful. "Mugen" had an oriental feel to it, but the lyrical chords were strictly European. The sorrowful lament that Yuu was able to bring forth with his violin made Allen's heart thump, the notes soft and sweet. There was a light pause and then… faster, faster, faster. The violinist's fingers appeared to blur in their breath-taking frenzy as his piece took on a crazed feel, yet his bowing arm was as practiced and graceful as ever. A pizzicato so quick it was nearly unrecognizable caught Allen off guard, and before he could even react, Yuu had already made of his bow again. As he played, his body rocked slowly to and fro and his hair swished in one clean movement. When he was done, the final notes still sang in the air. The applause was thunderous.

_I've _definitely_ heard of this guy. But from where? _Kanda returned backstage.

"Geez, Yuu-chan. Always gotta make me look bad, huh?" Lavi smiled, "Good job."

"Che. You weren't so bad yourself. But don't think I didn't notice you make a mistake in the bowing. You cut off a phrase when you ripped your bow off the strings."

"I prefer to call it 'ended unusually,' and you know, 'ripped' is _such_ a harsh word. Couldn't you have used 'loosely lifted' or something?"

"Shut up, Usagi."

"Ooh, Yuu-chan's using dirty language!"

"… Fuck you."

Meanwhile, Allen was already ascending the stage. His piece ran in his head. He stood as he moved in front of his instrument and gave a short bow. _All these people… all these faces. They're waiting for a show. They're waiting? Then I'll give 'em one, damn it!_ Allen sat and took a deep breath. He relaxed and started to play, enjoying the cool feel of the keys, how the pedal was springy and easy to press. A river of music flowed from his fingertips and he became all the more excited.

Allen Walker was a pianist.


	2. Chapter 2

"Heeey, Yuu-chaaaan."

"I _said, _hey, Yuu-chan! Let's take a look at the concert. I'm bored." Lavi looked over at Kanda who closed his eyes and ignored the red-haired boy like no tomorrow. This was no surprise. They'd been together for nearly eleven years now since they met, both seven years old, at the Starving Artist Music Conservatory, where they took lessons. Kanda was taught by Froi Tiedoll, a famous violinist from England, and Lavi took lessons from a mysterious fellow called Bookman, although their teacher-student relationship was quite a violent one. If either boy made it into BOSM, they would be saying good bye to the Conservatory. However, if the time came, both teens were ready to make a decision.

"C'mon, Yuu-chan, you anti-social humbug, you!" Lavi pulled him forward to in front of the broadcasting screen. "Hey, this guy's pretty good! But why the hell does he have white hair? Oh my god, maybe he's some pervy old guy out to get my ass! No, Yuu-chan! Save me! And my butt!"

"Shut. Up. Now. Fucking Usagi. And it's _Kanda_. You of all people should know this by now, damn it." Kanda glared at the sheepish teen in front of him, putting his hands into his pockets.

"Whatever, Yuu-chan. But take a look at him, seriously. I can't believe he wrote a song like this! It's awesome." Lavi had never heard such a mystical, eerie song before. It chilled him to the bone, but somehow also had him flushed an anticipating more. It wasn't a very fast piece, but the notes were complex and fluttered, as if they were alive.

"It sucks. Majorly." Nevertheless, Kanda leaned in and listened for a moment. "Yep. Sucks."

"Yay, that means you like it!"

Allen stumbled, jittery, to back stage. He had no idea how he'd done because he became so immersed in the music he could perceive nothing else. He was agitated, especially so from an empty stomach, and slumped down against a wall, exhaling heavily.

"Hey, kid, you were really good." Allen looked up to see Lavi staring at him with his one eye and grinning.

"Um, thanks. And you weren't that bad yourself." _He seems really nice. At least, I think he is…_

"So, my name's Lavi, and him there in the corner is Yuu-chan!"

"You mean Kanda, stupid Usagi!"

"Nooo, I'm pretty sure I meant 'Yuu-chan'" Lavi shuddered. "You've got the ears of death! Seriously, we were all the way across the room."

"Go to hell. And what do you want, shorty?" Allen, who had previously been staring at Kanda, gasped.

"Err, uh," stuttered Allen, flushing. _Wait a minute, "shorty"?! I'm 5'10"!! Where does he get off calling me that?? _

"Look," Allen began, "I'm not sh-"

"Of course you are, shorty. And what's up with the white hair? Aren't you supposed to be, like, eighteen or nineteen by now? Or maybe you're just a senile old man."

Allen gaped, mouth wide open. He couldn't believe what had happened. Yuu's music might have been amazing, but he was a freaking jerk! Lavi chucked while casting sympathetic looks. The two began to walk away when Allen shouted, "Well, at least I don't have such a feminine face I look like a girl, Yuu!"

There was silence. "Oh no he didn't!" breathed Lavi, inwardly laughing hysterically.

"Did you say what I _think_ you said, brat?" Kanda narrowed his eyes dangerously. "One: Never. Ever. Call me 'Yuu.' It's 'Kanda,' got it? Two: You are _so_ fucked."

Kanda began moving closer to Allen with such a fearful expression on his face several people passed out cold. True, he didn't look very girly right now. "B-bring it on!" Allen mumbled uncertainly while backing away. Lavi was tearing up now, and in something reminiscent of a nuclear explosion, he burst out howling. Both Kanda and Allen paused to look at him.

"Dude. What the fuck?" Said Kanda, only slightly afraid.

"Y-you have no idea how long it's been since someone talked back to Yuu-chan. My god, I'd be able to die happy now." Lavi smirked. "Hey, shorty, I like your guts! What's your name?"

"It's Allen. Allen Walker. And please don't call me 'shorty.'" Allen was relieved that Yuu- no, Kanda had a more mentally stable friend.

"Great to meet ya, Allen!" Lavi went to Kanda, "Hey, Yuu-chan, where are your manners, boy?"

"Che. He's nothing but a fucking Moyashi." And with that, Kanda returned to his respective emo-corner.

"What did he just call me again?" Allen was puzzled to exactly which particular language Kanda spoke. Something Asian, most likely.

"Ha, he said you were a, and I quote, 'a fucking Bean sprout.' Lovely, no?" Lavi bounced around happily, "Yuu-chan's Japanese."

_Ah, that explains it._ "He's such a jerkwad, too."

"Aw, he's not that bad! It just takes maybe, five, ten adjustment years to make him tolerate you. Slightly." Seeing that Allen was not appeased, Lavi continued, "But he calls everyone names! And he swears! It's really not such a big deal. I mean, he named me 'Usagi,' which means 'Rabbit.'"

Allen laughed. Lavi was an okay guy. "I'm not going to pretend that I don't find that weird. They're almost like pet names."

Lavi was about to say something else when one of the concert staff came around and whispered, "The last performer is finishing up. Please meet up down staircase B to room 305. They'll be telling you who made it and who didn't."

"Oh god, so soon?!" Everyone noticeably stiffened and began to panic, save for a few exceptions. Japanese exceptions. A-hem. Well, you get the point. Anyhow, people slowly made their way to the room. Dean Komui Lee was sitting inside, sipping steaming coffee from a mug with a pink bunny on it.

"The concert was lovely. But, alas, we cannot accept all the participants! Alright, first, I'd like to make an introduction to you all. This is my judging partner, Mister Cross Marian. He's the one whom you should poke repeatedly with flaming pitchforks and castrate because he chose to reveal the list of new students now! Everyone, give him a warm welcome."

"Hmm." Said Cross, surveying all the candidates carefully. "Most of you kinda sucked. And don't even get me _started_ on those who plagiarized, damn it."

"LET'S BEGIN, SHALL WE?" Komui cleared his throat while casting an angry look at Cross. "There are only twenty of you, so I'll make it short and sweet. I'll be calling each of you forward and giving you either a congratulatory letter or a rejection letter with your name written on it. Those who have been rejected cannot re-take the examination. BOSM only takes students just graduated from high school."

Allen groaned, squeezing his hands together as the roll was called. He clenched his eyes closed and prayed silently to himself. "Miranda Lotto!" The curly-haired woman who cried backstage got up fearfully and took her letter in trembling hands.

"Lenalee Lee!" The cute Asian girl walked confidently to the Dean. "Good job, dear, simply fantas-" _Whump!_ (AKA sound that Cross' fist makes in conjunction to Komui's face.

"Yuu Kanda!" The Japanese teen glared at Allen momentarily before taking his letter.

"Lavi!" Then, "Arystar Krory!" And, "Rhode Camelot!" Next was, "Tyki Mikk!"

At last, "Allen Walker!" Said boy nearly fell over while going to Komui, his pulse thundering.

"All right, that makes everyone. Now get the hell out!" Hollered Cross. Komui kicked him.

"And the idiots who made it don't forget to come on September 1st!"

With weary moans and tears and quite a bit of sweat, all the candidates exited the building. At once, screams and shouts were heard.

"Fuck yeah, I made the cut!!" Lavi pumped his fist into the air, cello case balanced unsteadily on his back. "How 'bout you, Yuu-chan?"

"Che. Of course I made it in." Kanda threw a dismissive look at his letter.

"Woot!" Screamed Lavi, "And how about our dear Moyashi?"

Allen was standing by himself near the end of the block. Suddenly, he fell to his knees. "Oh crap, you don't think…" muttered Lavi, running his hands through his hair. "Let's go Yuu-chan." The two proceeded toward the seventeen-year-old.

"Hey, fucking Moyashi, did you fail?" Kanda snorted, "Well, that's not unexpected."

Allen turned. Tears fell from his eyes. Kanda felt a sudden wave of guilt wash over him. Did he go too far?

_Glare. _"No, Kanda, you selfish bastard. Go to hell." Apparently not.

The white-haired boy then began to cry once more. Oh, those beautiful words, those beautiful words! Allen could see them over and over again...

"Congratulations. You have been accepted to the Black Order School of Music."

--

A/N: For references, Allen's still 17 (late birthday), Kanda's 18, Lavi's 18, Lenalee's 16 (late birthday), Miranda's 19, Krory's 18, Tyki's 19, and Rhode is 15 (late birthday). Lenalee and Rhode skipped one and two grades, in that order, and Miranda was held back a year. Tyki just started later than the rest of them; he's actually pretty smart. XP


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Changed the rating to "M" for the things to come. Argh, everyone has such a dark past! But I suppose it's inevitable...

--

"Come on, Miranda! We've got to get going if we want to make it to our new dorms. I mean, I bet we're the last people arriving!" Lenalee Lee called from the front seat of a light blue car, the trunk of which was absolutely jammed with luggage. In her lap she had a flat black case which she held protectively. She turned to her brother, laughing weakly. "Sorry I had you take off from work for this. I know you're busy."

"NONSENSE!" Roared Dean Komui Lee, banging his fist on the dashboard and steering wheel at the same time, causing the horn to honk obnoxiously. A squirrel fell from a tree and landed on the head of a dark-haired woman dressed on a simple dress.

"EEK!!" Miranda Lotto batted the small, adorably furry creature away, but dropped everything she had in her hands or was dragging along on a light-weight cart. That meant three suitcases, a duffel bag, a black case, and a grandfather clock. Yep. You heard me right.

"Miranda! Um, I'll help you with that…" Lenalee got out of the car, closing the door quietly while Komui grinned stupidly to himself, filled with thoughts about his wonderful, charming, kind, lovely, (basically everything good times infinity) sister.

"I'm sooooo sorry!!" Sobbed Miranda, "Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry-"

"It's alright. You didn't damage your clarinet did you?" Lenalee looked around anxiously but quickly stopped. Miranda was about to have an aneurism.

"OH MY LORD," screamed the forlorn woman, digging into her duffel bag. She soon sighed with relief. "I-it's fine."

"Then let's go!" Lenalee smiled, dragging along two of the suitcases. Komui was already tying the grandfather clock rather dangerously onto the top of the car with string that was suspiciously similar to many shoelaces knotted together. "Dorm life is going to be _awesome_."

It was August 31st, 6:00 in the afternoon, and roughly twelve hours before the first day of lessons at the Black Order School of Music. Lenalee and Miranda whom had learned from the same teacher, specializing in woodwinds, were best friends and lived close by in the borough of Queens as well. Unfortunately, they were convinced that the last students to enroll at the dorm house, affectionately dubbed "Dorm," at BOSM, would be them. They were wrong.

"AHHHHHHHHHMOOOOOOOM!!" Screamed Lavi at the top of his lungs. He clung to the thin back in front of him for dear life, trying to ignore the squealing of tires as cars swerved to avoid them. Said back scoffed and began to swear at him.

"Shut the fuck up, Usagi!" Yuu Kanda was driving his motorcycle at a perilous speed, ignoring the speed limit entirely and the lanes, too. Strapped to his chest was a violin case, and the crying cellist behind him had his instrument's case as well, except mounted on his back. "We'll get there in five more minutes, damn it, so quit getting your snot on my back!"

"Oh, I should have taken the subway, the subway, which doesn't go more than a hundred miles per hour," shrieked Lavi as he unwillingly zipped through the traffic on the highway. "It's my fault I had to get evicted _today_!" Bitter memories of this morning flooded Kanda's mind at an instant.

"_What the hell are you doing outside my door, bastard?" _

"_Yuu-chan, don't be like that! I, err, well it's kind of a long story. Lemme in so I can tell y-" SLAM. The door to Kanda's apartment closed at once. Simultaneously, Lavi began his howling. _

"_You don't loooooovvvee me anymoooorrre!! Yuuu-chaaan!! Why are you so _cold_? It didn't used to be this way! You were so nice to me last night when we were together!!" CLICK. _

"_Get in here before you shit any further on my reputation, fucking Usagi! Now!" Kanda hissed, dragging the happy bunny into his home. _

"_Can I have a drink, Yuu-chan?" _

"_No. All the crap in my refrigerator's gone moldy." _

"_You should take care of yourself more, Yuu. Are you eating from all the food groups?" _

_Kanda grunted offhandedly. "…What the fuck happened to you?" _

"_That meanie Bookman kicked me out! He said I-" Insert loud sniffling noise. "-can't come back now that I got into BOSM! And he said I sucked! Repeatedly!" _

"_Not surprising. In the least." Kanda paused. "Come to think of it, you've been free loading off of Bookman since you were fourteen and your parents had enough of you. You were disowned, right? No wonder that happened." _

"_You're not even sorry I got evicted?!" Lavi gaped at his "gentle and compassionate" pal. Kanda's glare plainly told him "no", so the now sad bunny decided to cut to the chase. "Yuu-chan, I need you to drive me to the Dorm. You have a bike, right? I don't have any cash, so I can't get a metro-card or flag a taxi. Pweeze?" _

"_Walk. You don't have one bit of furniture or thing to carry besides that bag of clothes and your cello. Good bye." With that, Kanda was ready to throw Lavi, possibly from the open window. _

"_W-wait!" Lavi saw the serious glint in the Japanese teen's eyes. "You don't have furniture either! The bed, sofa, fridge, everything came with your apartment. And you're rich, so there's no reason to be so stingy. Stingy, stingy. Uh… yeah, so please, take me with you!" _

_Kanda scowled. It was true his home décor was as Spartan as Lavi's. But that didn't mean they'd travel together. At all. But with a new round of sobbing and the red-haired "monster" yelling at the top of his lungs, "THEN WHO WILL RAISE OUR CHILD?!" Kanda raced out of his apartment once and for all with Lavi straight behind him midst people whispering in the hallway. _

And thus here the two were, in the Dorm, Kanda grumpy as ever and Lavi thankful for still being alive. "Go die." Kanda deadpanned after parking his bike carefully in the garage, about to leave for his room, number 313. Lavi, who had regained some of his spunk, saluted him cheerily.

"Yes, sir!"

Suddenly, the giggling of girls made Lavi and Kanda stop. Well, mostly Lavi; Kanda only stopped because the red-head latched onto his arm. _Oh my god, she's gorgeous!_ Thought Lavi, not bothering to hide his gawking at a smiling Chinese girl talking to another woman next to her. _I want to introduce myself, but…_ Kanda rolled his eyes. He'd seen this several times before, and with almost invisible movements, he kneed Lavi swiftly in the back, causing him to yelp and topple over in front of his crush.

"What the hell was that for?!" Lavi burst angrily.

"Are you okay?" The rabbit turned around. His heart near exploded with joy and he mentally bowed down to an imposing golden statue of Kanda. She was talking to him! _XD_, Lavi cheered.

"Oh, I'm totally okay. I could not be more okay, in fact. Yes, I am super-duper okay, like, completely okay! Uh, okay, so um… Um… well, you see, err, okay, um…" Lavi trailed off, turning red. He had blown it!

The girl laughed. "You're a pretty funny person. My name's Lenalee Lee. What's yours?"

"L-Lavi! The name's Lavi!" The rabbit broke out beaming, "It's a pleasure to meet you Lenalee."

"You, too! By any chance, do you know the person who's glaring at us from the end of the hallway? He looks a little… angry." Lenalee paused. Was that a guy or a girl? Damn, that was nice hair!

"Oh, that's Yuu Kanda." Feeling as if he owed Kanda something, Lavi called him over. "Introduce yourself, Yuu-chan!"

Kanda narrowed his eyes but approached nonetheless. He was never one to be impolite to women. "I'm Yuu Kanda. Call me Kanda only."

Lenalee gasped. _Is this the genius violinist everyone's been whispering about? Hmm, brother told me to be careful around him. But he doesn't seem so bad. And he has such a pretty face! Let's see now… _"Are you Japanese? If you are, then shouldn't it be 'Kanda Yuu'?"

Kanda raised his eyebrows. It was unusual for someone to be so knowledgeable about his ethnicity. "True. But this is the U.S., so I guess I've more or less adapted to American customs." A troubled expression settled on his features, which Lenalee noticed.

"I see." _So he wasn't from the U.S. originally, huh?_ She brightened. "This is Miranda Lotto!" The woman cowering in back of her jumped.

"N-nice to m-m-meet you!" Miranda stuttered. Lavi, being known for his gentleness toward shy people, grabbed her hands.

"I'm glad to get to know you, Miranda." The poor woman went beet red in an instant and keeled over, much to the shock of the samurai and rabbit.

"Don't worry!" Lenalee assured them, "She's always like this." She waved them good bye, supporting Miranda on one shoulder. _Wow. I can't believe I just met Paganini Jr. Wow. _

The Dorm was similar in structure to that of a good hotel or apartment complex. Each room was exactly the same with a nicely equipped kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. They were also sound proofed, for obvious reasons. (Hint: The "M" in BOSM.) Lavi whistled, heading down to his room, 213, one floor underneath Kanda's. There, a flash of white caught his eye.

"Hey! Aren't you that really awesome pianist, err, Aaron Walker, was it?" The seventeen year old turned around, surprised. He was just coming out from his room.

"Lavi! I haven't seen you for a month!" Allen coughed lightly. "It's Allen, not Aaron."

"Heh, my bad. So, where are you heading?"

"I'm going to get something to eat. I already ate all the food I brought from home." Allen thought sadly of his cozy apartment in Brooklyn where he lived alone. His landlord, Mr. Timcanpy, had been a swell guy.

"Let's go together! I'm starving. Yuu-chan wasn't didn't even give me something to drink." Lavi was in an altogether ecstatic mood.

"By 'Yuu-chan,' I take you mean Kanda, right?" Allen bristled at his recollections of the samurai.

"Yep. He's a real sweetie though," sang Lavi crazily, picturing Lenalee's face in his mind.

"O.O" said Allen. He chose to ignore what had just been said. "How much do you have on you?"

"Zero!"

Allen slumped. "I only have two bucks. And I'm hungry. Boo." His head spun, and he nervously predicted what was going to happen if he didn't get some food, fast.

"I know exactly who we can mooch cash off of!" Lavi leapt up. Minutes later they had arrived before room 313. Guess who lives there!

_Ding-dong! Ding-dong! _Kanda put down his violin to open the door and groaned, a sense of deja-vu coming over him. "No. No. And FUCK NO." Said the samurai, growling.

"Can I borrow some money to eat? Lavi want food. Allen want food. Lavi and Allen want food. Yuu-chan give Lavi dollars. Lavi and Allen get food. Lavi and Allen happy. Get it?" Lavi finished off rather proud of himself. By now it was nearly 8:30 PM. "I know you haven't eaten yet either."

"Go steal from Moyashi. Or mug someone. I don't care. Now leave me alone so I can practice!" Kanda's flat stomach rumbled. He blinked, as if aware of it the first time. Then he shrugged and started to close the door.

"Kanda," Allen said, holding the door open, "I'm really sorry, but could you just give me some food? Anything will do, really! I-" Allen fainted, and the samurai's eyes widened.

"What the fuck?" Allen's face was paper white and his breathing harsh and ragged. Kanda bit his lip, going back into his room. Lavi panicked over Allen's limp form. The samurai returned with a pair of worn, black Converse on and a ring of keys. He locked his door.

"Yuu-chan?"

Kanda strode to the elevator. "There's a fast-food joint around the block. You carry him, not me."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: All heights and statistics are fictional! FICTIONAL! XP

--

Allen sniffed, smelling the scent of frying food in the air. He moaned, opening his eyes blearily and clutching his dizzy head. "Where… am I?"

"Eat up, kid." Allen was sitting in a booth in a fast-food restaurant and turned to see Lavi munching away on a hamburger. He looked down and saw his very own tray laden with a burger, fries, and a soda. Next to Lavi sat Kanda, who bit at the plastic straw in his mouth. The samurai glared and took another swig of Coke.

Without another word, Allen dug in furiously to his food while Lavi and Kanda stared. In three and a half minutes, five dollar's worth of food vanished.

Allen sighed, wiping his mouth. "Um, are you going to finish that?" He asked Kanda, noticing the burger he hadn't touched yet. The samurai grimaced and tossed the white-haired boy his food. He had lost quite a bit of his appetite.

Lavi slowly took a bite. "Um, want some more fries, Allen?"

"Sure!" _SWOOSH_. No more fries for Lavi, the poor boy.

Kanda picked up a fry and chewed, or more correctly, annihilated it with his molars. "Where the hell did all that food just go, fucking Moyashi?"

"I ate it."

"No fucking way."

"Well, I did! I have a metabolic disorder where my body uses up the calories I consume nearly four times as fast as normal so I need to eat more than most people." Allen finished Kanda's burger. "You want those fries?"

"You're such a shrimp, how can you eat so much?!" The samurai tried to take another fry, but had to withdraw in order to avoid getting his fingers eaten by Allen.

"Shut up!" Allen munched, enjoying how the crispy taste of potato was augmented by the flavor of revenge.

"You prick, I wanted those fries!" Kanda looked venomous. He rubbed his temples. He'd pick something up at the convenience store later. The faster that bastard Moyashi finished up, the faster he'd get back to his room and violin. "You know, Moyashi, no matter how much you eat you won't grow any taller."

"I told you, I have a disorder! And my name's A-L-L-E-N!"

"That's what I said, Moyashi."

_Grrr_, thought Allen, _he's such a jerkwad! _"Hmph… I'm still hungry, Kanda. Could you buy me more of my life-sustaining medicine?"

"FUCK NO!"

"K-Kanda… I'm feeling… _faint_." Allen keeled over slightly onto the table, inwardly cackling.

"Just this once, Yuu-chan," muttered Lavi, patting Allen on the back. "Um, and get me some more, too?" The rabbit batted his eyes. The samurai wanted to rip them out.

An hour later, Kanda was holding a bill of two hundred and three dollars in his shaking hands. Let us review on what Allen had, the entire night, consumed: Two burgers, two plates of fries, a glass of Coke, a dish of pasta, chicken noodle soup, a freshly caught and cooked lobster with popcorn shrimp, a hell of a lot of macaroni and cheese, twelve slices of pizza that all had different toppings, a steak, two Caesar salads, a root beer float, three slices of apple pie, two slices of chocolate cake, and a single, I repeat, one, single…

Watermelon.

Lavi ate another plate of fries.

"Holy shit," breathed the rabbit, "how tall are you?"

"Um, 5'10" I think." Allen cocked his head. "Why?"

"How in the name of all that is righteous, holy, and musical did you eat enough to feed more than five average sized people?!"

"Well, I didn't get to eat breakfast or lunch today because I was so busy moving my stuff, so I was super starving. But I'm fine now, don't worry."

"I am honestly amazed," whispered Lavi. "I'm 6'3" and a half and Yuu-chan's 6'2, but no way in hell do we intake as much as you. You have my respect, man."

Allen laughed and talked to Lavi a bit more, who chuckled warmly. They forgot about one person who most definitely was not laughing or chuckling warmly.

Yuu Kanda gazed with blank eyes into his empty wallet. There used to be over one month's worth of supplies in those beautiful green notes that filled it. But no more. No more. His glazed eyes traveled to where Allen was sitting. A snap was heard. A crash. A thud. A high-pitched girly scream (Lavi).

"You. Are paying. Me. Back every. Mother. Fucking. Last. Cent. You owe." Kanda hissed, pinning Allen to the wall behind them. "GOT IT?"

"Okay, okay," said Allen, glowering into Kanda's dark eyes. "Geez. Why are you so pissed over some food? I'll give you back what I owe, promise. Being so miserly is really pathetic. Worthless characteristics just make you into a loser." Allen muttered to himself, not realizing Kanda had heard each word.

At once a sea of images rushed forth from the abyss that was the samurai's mind. Money... Cash... Mountains of green bills littering, filling shabby apartment rooms. Two figures, wild and incensed, cackling as they threw the currency into the air with glee. And a gun. A single, gleaming silver pistol. The smell of blood. Screaming... Screaming, screaming. Him. Her. Them. All of them together. The agony.

The. Agony.

The samurai leapt back as if struck, nausea causing his knees to wobble, and began walking out of the restaurant quickly. Lavi ran after him. Allen followed purely out of curiosity, and because he felt like he rather had to, seeing as he'd just used up all of Kanda's money.

"Yuu-chan! I'm really sorry, seriously. I'll never ask you to pay for food again, alright?" Lavi swallowed, "Please don't be mad. I'm really, really sorry."

Kanda halted, a block from the Dorm. "Go fuck yourself, Usagi."

Lavi exhaled. "Usagi" meant Kanda wasn't mad enough to kill. But the tone of his voice… was raw. Unkempt. "Yuu-chan! Where are you going now?"

"Away from you two, obviously." Kanda ran his hand through his pony tail distractedly. He felt extremely frustrated; air seemed harder to breathe and he scratched at his throat, not caring it was red. It was like he was suffocating yet oddly hyper at the same time, and he wanted to get back to practice. Maybe he'd go learn a new piece.

"No, don't practice! It's 11:00. It's late." Lavi could tell Kanda was behaving oddly. And that only signified one thing: he was going to play the violin till he was satisfied, and many times that didn't happen until the wee hours of the morning. "You've got to take care of yourself!"

"Maybe you're the one who should take care of yourself. You don't know what you're saying."

"Of course I do, damn it! You need to rest for once. The violin isn't all you need to live!"

"I'm fine, Lavi." The rabbit gasped. "I'll see you in the morning at seven." Kanda flew up the stairs to the Dorm and into his room.

"What just happened?" Asked Allen quietly. He bent to kneel next to Lavi who was on the floor.

"Fuck!" Lavi fumed, "I couldn't stop him again. I couldn't help him. Again. Fuck."

"You mean Kanda? Is there something wrong?"

Lavi looked up. "Listen, Allen. Yuu's been through a whole lot of shit. He's a fucked up kid, that's for sure." The rabbit cursed. "Fuck, the rooms are sound proofed!"

"What… happened to him?" Allen's heart was thumping in his chest as if he were about to be told a secret everyone else craved, but in an entirely unpleasant way.

Lavi opened his mouth, as if to begin, but closed his lips at once. "Sorry, Allen. It's not my place to tell." Both boys somber, they headed back to their rooms in silence.

--

A/N: Sorry, I just couldn't see Kanda with a credit card. Lavi, totally, but not Kanda. Why?! DX


	5. Chapter 5

It was 4:00 AM and a moonless night, pitch black in all aspects, though wispy, pale clouds drifted across the inky sky with a languid grace. Not a star was to be seen, but artificial light filtered shakily from street lamps, behind closed curtains; it was abundant in each corner of the city. Everyone in the Dorm was sleeping, some uneasily, some with sound and peaceful snores. Everyone, except for one person.

_Faster, faster, faster_. Kanda swayed with his violin as he soared through every single song he could remember, that he'd ever learned, with a manic intensity. His eyes closed, he barely felt the soreness of his aching left shoulder or his chin. Beads of sweat dripped from his brow and his hair waved wildly in the air, long since undone, but he wasn't aware of them either. For him, time had stopped in place.

Exhaustion finally took its toll, and Kanda fell to the floor with a soft thump, panting. Immediately, the voices he'd sought so long to overcome rang loud and clear in his head.

"_Useless. That fucking kid is useless. What good is the little bastard to us if he doesn't learn his songs real quick? He's already fucking nine, damn it! He's got to become a prodigy, win all the prizes, competitions. He's got to become a genius." _A deep voice shook Kanda, and he wrapped his arms around himself protectively, curling into a fetal position.

"_Pathetic! Pathetic! Pathetic! An entire month spent on that one piece? Who does that motherfucker think he is? Get him over here, will you? We'd better discipline him again." _The shrill quality of the crowing brought on a whole new wave of nausea over the samurai. His stomach churned as he shivered and bile crept up his throat.

"_Get over here! Kanda! Didn't you hear me, fucker? Tch, there you are." _

"_You're not working hard enough!" _

"_You're not playing good enough!" _

"_You're not learning fast enough!" _

"_Why can't you do anything right?" _

"_Worthless!" _

"_Worthless!" _

"_He's absolutely-"_

"Worthless…" Whimpered Kanda, eyes clenched closed.

The darkness hadn't saved him in time.

The following morning, Allen woke up at 6:30, taking time to put on a carefully cleaned shirt and pants. One preferably without food stains. School didn't start until 8:00, but he figured waking up and arriving early wasn't going to hurt. Plus, he'd heard from Lavi that BOSM offered free breakfast in the cafeteria, and he sure wasn't going to miss out on that.

But speaking of meals, Allen was still puzzled and perturbed at Lavi's cryptic hints of Kanda's screwed up life. And though the white-haired teen had only known the rabbit and the samurai for a short amount of time, the fact the Kanda had called Lavi by his name last night was a sure signal that something was wrong. Allen sighed. He wouldn't lie to himself; he truly did regret ruining Kanda's financial plans for the month, and was worried.

Allen left and locked his room. He moved along to 413, right next to him, and pressed the doorbell. Abruptly, the door swung violently open and revealed a fully dressed Lavi with his cello case standing anxiously there. "Yuu-chan?"

"N-no, Lavi. It's me." Allen was shocked. Was Kanda's behavior so frightening? It hadn't seemed _that_ bad. Then again, he wasn't completely sure.

"Oh, hey there Moyashi!" Lavi smiled, and Allen noticed bags under his eyes. "Um, let's go get Yuu-chan for breakfast, alright?"

"Yes." Allen was very ill at ease now. The two moved down a floor and buzzed room 313. No answer. They knocked loudly. No answer. Lavi began yelling. No answer. Allen even kicked several times. No. Answer.

"What's with all of you making so much noise in the morning?"

Allen and Lavi were approached by a very tall man with white and black striped hair dressed in punk clothing. He stepped closer.

"Nothing much. We can't get our friend to open up, and we're not sure if he's alright." Allen paused, and then gulped, waiting for edgy person's reaction.

"That's excellent! Friends ought to be looking after friends, you know. And you say he's not answering?" The man beamed, looking much gentler than before.

"Yes. Do you have any idea what we coul-" Before Lavi finished, the man had raised one combat boot encased leg and delivered a blow so powerful the door of 313 caved in.

"The name's Krory. Arystar Krory."

Lavi and Allen opened and closed their mouths like fishes out of water. They regained their wits, however, and rushed into Kanda's room. _Please no dead body_, prayed Allen, crossing his fingers. Krory came in as well.

The room was empty.

"Fuck. Where do you think he is?" Lavi pondered. "Let's check at school. If he's not in the cafeteria, then we have to call the police."

Allen froze. The police? The police? No. They couldn't come. Those bastards in uniform simply could not come to the Dorm! No. No more parasites infesting the place Allen was growing to love. Not again, at least. Not after what they did to Ma-

"Allen! Hey, wake up!" Lavi was waving his hand in front of Allen's face, bewildered. "C'mon, don't tell me you're flaking on me, too?"

"N-not at all," said Allen.

"Let us go to our breakfasting spot." Declared Krory. "I, for one, am starving!"

They set out and found their destination with ease, for BOSM was only five or six blocks from the Dorm. Allen and Lavi broke out into a run with Krory loping behind them and slammed open the doors to the cafeteria.

"Kanda?!" "Yuu-chan?!"

The samurai was sitting at a table in the corner with Lenalee and Miranda. His eyebrows twitched and he proclaimed with a graceful regality fit for a prince, "Dude. What the fuck?"

Lavi needed no more assurance that Kanda was back to normal. Upon seeing that his beloved Yuu-chan was well and alive, he grabbed Allen by the sleeve and bounded up to where Lenalee was. Introductions were made once again for Allen's sake.

"Hey Lenalee! How's it going?" Lavi grinned foolishly while grabbing a chair and a bowl of cereal. Allen had disappeared to fill his "stomach." The rabbit had overcome his imminent bashfulness when with his crush.

"It's great, Lavi. Kanda-kun was just having breakfast with us." Lavi felt a small tick inside of him with the addition of "kun" to the samurai's name, but he crushed it down.

"He hasn't been spouting vulgarities, has he? Or has he been saying slanderous things about _me_?? OH, NO!"

Lenalee and even Miranda laughed at this, and Miranda's eyes occasionally flitted around to meet Lavi's. When they once made eye-contact, the curly-haired woman gave a little "meep!" and went to get more orange juice.

_Dear me, _Miranda thought, _what's happened? I can't seem to stay calm around Lavi at all._ She was about to reach for the pitcher of juice when another hand extended as well. Their fingers met. Miranda looked up to see Krory standing right by her.

"M-Mister Krory? Is that you?" Miranda stuttered happily (if such a thing is possible), "It's been a long time since I've s-seen you."

"Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-yes." Krory, apparently, had a greater speech impediment than Miranda. He swallowed dryly, "We studied music at the s-s-s-s-same center, right?"

"Oh, yes!" Gushed (Good lord!) Miranda. She had loosened up considerably. "Talking with you back then was always so much fun. Oh, what's this?"

Lavi was motioning over to her. "Could you get me some more cereal?" He called. Miranda broke out into fresh perspiration.

"S-sorry, Mister K-K-Krory. It was lovely meeting you again!" Miranda scuttled off with a box of Lucky Charms, leaving Krory still holding the pitcher of orange juice, still in a daze.

"Hey, you gonna drink the OJ?" A generic classmate asked generically.

Krory jumped, dropped the orange juice all over said generic classmate's totally generic shoes, and then proceeded to run like hell. But it's not like the generic classmate could do anything other than generic to Krory. Oh. In that case, that's very bad indeed.

Meanwhile, Lavi had finished his breakfast and was chatting animatedly with Lenalee and Miranda, making them giggle. Allen had consumed three bowls of oatmeal which filled him up. He continued to sit at the table only for the sake of watching Kanda.

The samurai picked at a slice of toast moodily, barely sipping a cup of black coffee. Allen noticed his face was drawn and the color of fresh sheets. Also, he was wearing a turtleneck sweater that didn't quite cover the bruise on the left side of his chin. He had been practicing after all.

The samurai noticed Allen observing him, and suddenly he placed his hand over his heart, unsure of why he felt so panicked. There wasn't anything he wanted to hide. Nothing at all. The skin he'd tattooed years ago felt crawly, as if covered in vile insects. Wait a minute... Why had he gotten that tattoo in the first place? He'd never especially liked anything to do with piercing or body art. So why... _I can't remember._

"Kanda, why aren't you eating?" Allen locked eyes with him.

"I can't tell you." _That I can't get these strange, hazy memories, these voices, out of my head; they are making me feel so horrible I threw up twice in the morning. _

"Why are you so pale today?"

"I can't tell you." _That I'm afraid to eat anything right now because I'll feel sick again and I might vomit; I'll make everyone think I'm weak and useless. _

"Why do you play the violin?"

Kanda closed his eyes briefly. "I can't tell you."

_That it's my legal drug, what keeps me alive, but at the same time it's the one thing that's ruining my life. _


	6. Chapter 6

"Why won't you say anything, damn it!" Allen roared across the table, making all the people in the cafeteria, including Kanda slouching on his chair, sit up. Lavi broke away from his conversation with Lenalee and Miranda at last.

With a face like an emotionless mask, Kanda got up and left the vicinity. It was ten minutes to eight, and the students realized that they'd better get to their first classes immediately. Allen bid Lavi farewell, a bitter taste coating his mouth from his previous conversation. _All I wanted was to go to a good music school and play the piano. How'd I get so wrapped up in other peoples' lives before school even started? _

BOSM had a unique schedule and method of teaching that changed with each of the two semesters in the year. Lessons began at 8:00 AM with two hours of a master class including only four or five students taught by a professional musician, more often than not famous. Then, at 10:00 there commenced an hour of music history, and from that point on another hour of music theory and composition. At noon, students were given an hour for lunch and rest, although they were expected to practice a bit as well, and the day was finished up with two more hours of the master class, usually to give any final advise or critiques before each pupil returned to the Dorm.

Allen walked into a spacious, well-lit classroom in the middle of which had a beautiful, ebony colored, grand piano. His spirits lifted, and he took a seat among three other students. They didn't speak much to him, or each other for that matter, but Allen took it into account because of nerves.

A round, smiling man in a white coat wearing a flowered top-hat and small, round glasses entered the room. And indeed the students _thought _he was smiling, for his face had been contorted unbelievably, but any expression like that was rather unheard of.

"Hello, class!" The man paused, as if expecting an answer.

"Hi-hrm." Went a boy softly, and then tried to disguise his words as a cough. But that was enough for the man, and he grinner even wider.

"Fantastic!" The man brandished the umbrella he'd been holding by his side and danced about awfully light for a person of his stature. "I am Millennium Earl, your teacher for the Fall/Winter semester. You may call me 'Earl.'"

Allen was shocked. His teacher was none other than THE Millennium Earl, or THE Earl, who regularly had wildly successful concerts at places such as Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center, and was well-known for his virtuosity. The bean sprout could barely contain his excitement.

"Alright, I'd like you to introduce each of yourselves." The Earl chuckled in good humor, and I will give each of you a present!"

Everyone's pulse quickened.

"I'm Jill Greene!" A girl called with unsubtle hints of generic-ness.

"I'm the Generic Student from the last chapter I hope no one forgot. If you did then please re-read-" The sadly generic child was cut off.

"M-my name's Johnny Tapp!"

"I'm Allen Walker."

The Earl guffawed with joy. He then reached behind him and pulled out a basket of… Boiled eggs? "You whippersnappers need good nutrition to get a good education. Dig in!"

Each student stared blankly at the egg in their hands, unsure of what to do. However, Allen, never being one to turn down free food of any sort, peeled it carefully and consumed the egg in less than a minute. The Earl dabbed his mouth after polishing off his own egg. At once the atmosphere in the room changed.

"Now," said the Earl gravely, "let us _begin_."

Meanwhile, Kanda was sitting in his classroom while growing angrier and angrier. Whispers flitted across the room rapidly, though the samurai could hear every last one.

"Hey, do you think he's really Yuu Kanda?"

"You mean that genius violinist, that Paganini Jr.? You're out of your mind."

"But he was mad good at the finals!"

"Go up and ask him, why don't you?"

One boy got up and walked nervously up to Kanda. "Um, err; is it true that you won the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition when you were fifteen?"

Kanda ignored the boy completely. His head had begun to pound nastily, and of all things the fucking teacher was fucking late. Argh, just like that damn old man Tiedoll always was.

The boy pressed on, unaware of Kanda's state at the time. "Is it true that you won the Henryk Wieniawsky Violin Competition, too?! And you're the concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic? And- and-"

Kanda had risen to his full height and towered over the boy. "FUCK OFF." He snarled, about to rip the frightened kid to shreds when a tall man with long, blood-red hair and a violin case stomped into the room, the sound of his boots hitting the wood flooring deafening.

"My, my. What have we here?" The man loped up to the two offenders. He surveyed Kanda's hands on the boy's collar and his furious expression. Then he barked, "I don't give a damn if you pummel the kid to shit. Do it outside my classroom, you hear?"

Kanda released the boy and fell back into his chair. His headache had worsened; did he have a migraine? The nosy child ran back in tears to his two friends on the other side of the room and they muttered to each other conspiratorially.

"And I have to let you know something," the man said, stooping to meet Kanda, "The only person who can swear his fucking mouth off here is ME."

The entire classroom fell to a crackling silence. The man smirked, lighting up a cigarette. "The name's Cross Marian, you fucking freshmen. I don't care who you are. I don't care what your opinions are of me. All I care about is your music. And by 'care' I mean I'll kill you if you don't play well."

Cross took a long drag. "I'll give you a song and an hour to play it. Get to work, sissies." Cross threw the students a packet of sheet music and then left the room.

Kanda looked at the notes calmly. It was by Beethoven, and he recalled playing it once long ago. Within several minutes, he'd finished reading it and he took out his violin, oblivious to the tense figures of his peers. He placed the chin rest carefully in the crook of his neck, so as not to touch the bruise. Soon, there wasn't a sound in the room other than Kanda's violin, and all the students were affronted.

"Hey, help us, would you?" A large burly man stepped up. "I'm Skin Boric."

Kanda didn't respond and kept on playing. The real world was distant at the moment.

"You bastard!" Skin advanced, fists raised, but one of the students intervened.

"Idiot, Cross will fail us if we screw up his classroom!"

Skin narrowed his eyes. "Fucking bastard."

And hour passed in the blink of an eye, and like he said, Cross returned, albeit half and hour late. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but then again now they only had thirty minutes of actual teaching time.

"Alright, let's hear you." Cross turned to the Nosy boy. "Why don't you go first, Nosy?"

"My name is-"

"Say another word and I kick you out."

Nosy frowned, miserably, and commenced. He made countless mistakes and his movements were jerky. However, in one of the passages there was a small improvement. Cross cut him off there.

"You suck. Your bowing sucks. Follow the notes. It's supposed to be forte here. Why are you playing it fortissimo? Can you read? This place," Cross pointed, "you can do much better. Look at your phrasing for a moment. Keep your wrist flexible but continue having a good grip on the bow. That'll make your notes much clearer. Next!"

Nosy looked surprised for a moment, and then smiled. Cross wasn't as harsh as he'd predicted.

Generic Student 2 (the brother of Generic Student) popped up excitedly and played the piece with extreme speed. He was done in less than half the time as Nosy and waited with a satisfied expression to as what Cross would say.

"What the fuck are you doing? One: Too. Fast. Say it with me: TOO FAST. Fuck, this is only andante! It's garbled up and your rhythm is totally lewd. This is from the Classical period, not the Modern. Slower will do the trick, and give it some thought, would you? Music isn't some brainless sport. Next!"

Skin stepped up nervously and began to play. Cross stopped him just before the last few pages.

"It's bad, but not unbearable. You captured some of the innocent mirth, and did well with the characteristic rush of rage Beethoven's pieces usually have. You have a long way to go, still. Practice your ass off, you hear?" Cross turned around. "Alright. Next!"

Kanda's head felt like it was about to burst and his knees were weak. The samurai pushed all of his discomfort away; he'd gone to many competitions feeling like utter shit, but he'd won them out of sheer determination. He took a breath and started.

Cross listened to Kanda's playing until the last notes and the piece was finished. Then he scratched his head. "YOU FAIL."

Kanda froze immediately where he was, violin still balanced on his shoulder. Black spots danced in front of his eyes, and he, rooted to the spot, took no notice of Cross saying, "End of class!"

The samurai spun around, "What do you mean I-"

Cross faced him, eyes blazing. "Your technique, bowing, articulation, everything's perfect. In short, you're the most talented student I've seen in a long time."

"Then why-"

"Cut me off again and you are out of this academy!" Cross shouted. "What the hell's wrong with the emotion in your playing? Take the two sad passages; you just repeated what you did on one page again! And the mischievous spot? Sure, it _sounded_ like the real thing, but your facial expression, the way you moved, they never changed from the beginning!"

Kanda didn't know what to think. This was how he'd been playing since he picked up a violin. What in the world…?

"When you performed 'Mugen,' it was exceptional. That was because the feelings, the pain in that piece, were real." Cross sighed, rubbing his mustache, "Don't think I'm clueless about what your home was like. In short, you don't know any emotions so you can't identify with what the composer has experienced. Everything is perfect; it's perfect, okay? But without soul…"

Cross walked out of the classroom, calling, "You won't get anywhere, no matter how much you play." The door slammed.

Kanda picked up his violin, his books, and made his way to his next class. Without a word.

Lavi and Allen chatted together in the music history room. The teacher wasn't there yet and the teens were taking advantage of this. There were many people in this class since what instrument you played was inconsequential.

"The Earl is such an amazing pianist!" Allen gushed, thinking fondly of his lesson. "We started of with Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca, which is pretty well known, right? But he had us all play together at the same time and the sound was just so freaking _huge_ it was awesome! And then he gave us pointers on the form of our hands and our movement and everything was so, so, so cool."

Lavi smiled. "Speaking of _huge_, by the way, my teacher's cha-cha flags are insane! Her name's Klaud Nine, and she specializes in the larger string instruments. I told her I'd like make music with her, and then she picked up a fucking _double bass_ with one arm and beat me over the head with it!" Lavi pointed to his bandages. "Then again, it wasn't so different with bookman, so whatever, I guess."

Allen laughed. He was about to say something when Kanda staggered in shakily.

"Yuu-chan!" Lavi bounded up to him. "Did ya wow the teach?"

Kanda didn't reply. He pulled out some sheet music and poured over it extensively. Lavi peered over his shoulder. _Weird. This isn't a hard song. Yuu-chan shouldn't have any trouble over it._ Allen moved over to sit next to him.

"What's wrong, Kanda?"

"I'll tell ya what's wrong!" Skin Boric boomed smarmily from across the room. "That prick got told off by Cross. Failed, actually. Even I did better than him!"

"Yuu-chan," started Lavi, concerned. The room began buzzing with talk.

"Lavi, why's everyone so up about Kanda?"

"Um, let's just say he's good at what he does."

Allen lost his cheer from his master class. He looked the samurai up and down and noticed for the first time how thin he was. It was unnatural; he appeared to have more or even less the same figure as Allen, who was a good four inches shorter. Was he this fragile looking at the finals? Allen wasn't sure. All he knew about Kanda seemed to be based on gossip and rumors.

The teacher arrived and introduced himself as Reever Wenham. "Kanda," whispered Allen, "I'll take notes for you." The white-haired boy jotted down even the most immaculate details of what Reever said, nearly scripting the entire dialogue in his notebook, much more neatly than he'd normally do. Allen would photo-copy his notes later and give them to Kanda.

The samurai showed no sign of recognition.

Music theory and composition class passed without difficulty. The teacher, a Mister Link, was polite and quiet. He gave them tips on incorporating ornaments like trills and mordents into their personal pieces and provided some information on the history of some of their instruments.

At last, it was lunch time. Kanda got up to leave with his violin, but Lavi dragged him down with him to the cafeteria. The fact the Kanda actually _obeyed_ and followed was terrifying.

"Hey, Lavi! Kanda-kun!" Lenalee, Miranda, and Krory walked over to the two. "Are you going to have lunch now? Or maybe practice?"

"NO PRACTICE." Said Lavi forcefully, retaining his iron grip on Kanda's arm.

Lenalee glanced at the samurai. _Oh god, he does _not_ look well_. "I think Kanda-kun should have some of Jerry's soup. He's the cook, and his food usually helps with any, um, problems."

"Brilliant idea, Lenalee!" Declared Lavi. He swiveled around. "Where's Allen?" The boy had disappeared, so the group decided to go down without him.

In the library, Allen had just finished Kanda's set of notes. He flexed his hand. _I hope I don't have to do this every time. _The bean sprout set out to leave when he spied an empty computer in the corner. He went up to it and typed, just for the hell of it, "Yuu Kanda" into the search engine. A few minutes later…

"Holy shit," breathed Allen awestruck by all of the awards, nominations, competitions, and acclaim Kanda had, both in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. No wonder Kanda's name had been familiar to him and everyone had… Wait. Wait just a second. Didn't someone say Kanda's teacher failed him? On the first day? With a sinking feeling, Allen knew this was not going to bode well.

In the cafeteria, Miranda spoke with Krory fondly and Lenalee was whispering to Lavi.

"What's wrong with Kanda-kun?"

"First day didn't go so well, I guess. I'm not sure."

"I hope he's alright. He drank most of his soup, and I told Jerry to make it extra hot, so he might be better. He still looks bad though."

"I know! Yuu-chan's not taking care of himself at all. I mean, all he does is saw away at his violin day and night. I can't even keep track of how long this happens anymore because the rooms are sound proofed."

"My gosh. Is that really true?"

"Totally. So, how'd your master class go? Smoother than Yuu's, that's for sure."

Lavi and Lenalee continued to make speak and grow acquainted with each other. The Asian girl stole a glance at Kanda still pouring over his sheets of music. _He works so hard._

"Hey, Beautiful. Looks like I finally caught you."

Lenalee grinned, exasperated, "Hi, Tyki. It's nice to see you again. I guess." The tall, dark-skinned man sat down smoothly on the bench next to Lenalee.

"With you, my love is never a guess, Beautiful."

Lavi made a little sound in the back of his throat. Tyki noticed him.

"Here, eat this carrot."

"?" Lavi bit the vegetable from Tyki's fingers, unsure of what to expect.

"Look, Beautiful. I just fed a rabbit."

"What the hell?!"

When Allen arrived at the cafeteria, he raised his eyebrow once, and then shrugged the sight before him off. Lavi and another person he'd never met before were arguing furiously, and Lenalee was trying to play peacemaker. Miranda was gazing at the fight, but mostly at Lavi, and saying "sorry!" again and again. Krory sat, cross-legged next to her, brows knitted and fuming at losing precious Miranda-time. And let's not forget our dear samurai, eh? Wait. Where was Kanda?

Allen put down his tray covered with food the size of Mt. Everest. He muttered he'd be back soon, not caring if anyone heard. He edged through the crowded hallways and then checked the practice rooms, most of which were empty. Kanda wasn't there. As a final resort, he checked the men's bathroom.

Inside, he moved along the clean blue tiled floor. There was a moan. And then a soft cry followed by a fit of coughing and retching. Allen slowed to a standstill. _Fuck, fuck, fuck. It's Kanda, I'm sure of it. What do I do? What do I do? _It was going to be awkward if they met, that was for sure. Allen fidgeted and then ran from the bathroom to the cafeteria without halting. Two more hours. Two hours. That's all. Then he'd get help.

--

A/N: Kanda doesn't have an eating disorder!! That'd be horrible! DX But you know that churning, nausea inducing feeling you get when you get so panicked you can't think? (At least it happens to me. It's not pleasant.) That's what happens with Kanda, magnified.

Tyki: I just fed a rabbit. XPP


	7. Chapter 7

Lavi was feeling unusually ticked off that afternoon. As he stormed into the hallway after his final class, he kept thinking of that bastard Mikk and how Lenalee's face changed from pale porcelain to rosy pink whenever she talked to him.

"THAT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!!!" he screamed, clutching his head, his one revelaed eye squinty with rage. He began spinning around, mutter curses like, "!%#" and "!$%&" when he dropped his cello with a bang on the ground. The hall went silent, but not because of the fall of a mighty instrument.

"Oh MOTHERFU- I mean _mother fudge_. Maker. Family. Person." Lavi, who was lying with his belly on the ground coughed inconspicuously into his fist, trying to regain his poise. "Um, _hi_."

Standing before him at eye level was a pair of shiny, black combat boots. He looked up at the face the boots belonged to, and leapt up immediately.

"Holy shit, Hitler?!"

The crowd erupted into a sea of little chuckles, no one daring to let out a good guffaw. "Hitler" narrowed his eyes, a vein throbbing in his forehead.

"My name is Malcolm C. Louvelier, and I _am_ the Disciplinary Commitee." The man smirked gloatingly, obviously not awarre of how ridiculous his last statement sounded.

"Wow, that sure must be lonely, huh?" Lavi asked, a bead of sweat running down his face. _Why can't I shut up?! "Um, _I meant, um, that it must be, err... Yeah, I meant what I said."

"You rowdy sea urchin!" Cried Louvelier. "Why, I will have you know that without me, this school would certainly be in absolute shambles! In fact, blah blah blabbity bloopensmirff..."

Lavi tuned out the Nazi's cries effectively. His eye brow twitched. "I've already been called a RABBIT today, and now I'm DOWNGRADED to a freaking SEA URCHIN?!!"

Louvelier stopped talking, surprised for a moment at Lavi's sudden outburst. His distinct mustache shimmied around his upper lip irritatingly. "I see." He whispered menacingly. "You are resisting the carrier of justice. For that crime, you will be sentenced one month in detention."

"You have to be kidding me!" One glare from Louvelier was all it took to make Lavi zip his lips.

"And janitorial duties."

Lavi kicked himself.

The red-haired boy was led down to the "dungeons" where detention was held. Mind you, there weren't really dungeons, but the class room was in such a damp, musty and thoroughly decrepid place that calling it a dungeon would kind of be a complement. Inside the room, it seemd like half the school was crammed into the fairly small space. Desks had been exhausted already, and people were forced to share them. Lavi tried to move towards a desk being used by by two pretty girls, a brunette and a blonde, but Louvelier steered him over to one that was occupied by a large, drooling oafish boy whose demeanor upstaged his delicate flute case.

With a grin, Louvelier slinked out of the classroom and locked the door with a rattle of keys.

No one really wanted to talk to each other because the tension in the room was stifling. If all the students' personal bubbles would have popped by now if they had any. Lavi looked around once, made the "awkward turtle" sign with his hands, and lapsed into quiet boredom. Fifteen minutes later, Louvelier was back with another victim, only this one was short, white-haired, and the person Lavi was waiting for.

"Get in there, you brat!" Louvelier was seething with anger, and locked the door shut, his loud footsteps echoing in the hall, growing fainter and fainter.

"ALLEN!" Lavi rushed over to him, nearly skipping with joy if not for the huge wooden instrument strapped to his back. "How the heck did you get caught? You're an ace student."

"Ugh..." Allen rubbed his hands over his eyes. "It's a really long story."

"If you haven't noticed, we've got all the time in the world. Well, not if Drooly over there," Lavi gestured towards his previous desk-mate, "keeps leaking. At the rate he's going, we might drown before that Nazi lets us out."

"You mean Mr. Louvelier?"

"Mmhm. Hitler himself."

Allen chuckled weakly. "I was rushing down the hall with photocopies when he turned a corner and I smashed into him. The copies flew out of my hands, and somehow... err..." The youth stopped there, clearly embarrased.

"What? What happened?"

"... The copies flew into Louvelier's face and somehow managed to slice off his mustache."

"..."

"..."

"Allen, give me a tissue. I'm tearing up!"

"Lavi?!"

The red-haired boy wrapped Allen up in a hug. "YOU ARE EPIC!" Lavi released the boy who was now gaspign for air. "What were those blessed copies anyway? Lemme see 'em. Maybe I can soak up some of their mojo. Seriously, they must be super lucky if they could chop off that Nazi's face hair."

"I feel kinda bad though. That 'stache might have been Mr. Louvelier's one source of pride."

"Who cares? You're my source of pride at the moment! Now, hand over those copies..."

Allen gasped as Lavi reached for the stack of papers. The beansprout had forgotten why he'd been rushing in the first place- Kanda!

"Lavi-"

"Allen, why do you have so much info about Yuu?" The redhead sifted through everything, thumbing past tens of pages about his friend's life.

Allen turned slightly red. "I was just curious. I mean, I didn't he was a prodigious violinist! I was just. Um. Curious."

Lavi leered, grinning widely. "Someone cares! Sooomeone caaares! Sooooomeone caaaaaaa-"

"Lavi, I think Kanda is seriously ill! I saw heard puking his guts out in the bathroom, and I think he really needs help."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Lavi's entire persona changed in an instant. His face lost its mirth and he scanned the crowded classroom for any source of escape. Louvelier wasn't going to return soon, that was for sure. He racked his brain for a solution, and then a sly smile emerged on his mouth.

"Heeey, Drooly- uh I mean, _friend_." Lavi wheeled around to his large, salivating colleague who now had focused on the cellist.

"Wot?"

"I was just wondering... Do you hate Louvelier?"

"YESH!!!" The giant student seemed to rumble as he came to, making others around him back away. "He's always puttin' me in here jus' cos I look a' him. He's scared o' the ways I look. He's a big ol' coward."

"Then, why don't you break down the door and give him a piece of your mind?"

"But he'll put me here again, longer and longer!"

"Jacko's a good guy. He's real nice." Someone piped up from the back. "Most of us are here because Louvelier's just a biased piece of-"

"Jacko's freakin' scary, man! What are you talking about? No way a guy that big could be nice."

"Shut your mouth you half-rate flutist. You're just jealous 'cuz you suck and Jacko doesn't."

"What did you call me?!"

"Oookay!" Lavi smiled appreciatively at a random direction, trying to play peacemaker. "Listen, Jacko. You haven't done anything wrong, right? Nothing on purpose or anything?"

"Naw."

"So that Nazi can't have you in here unjustly! He shouldn't even be getting away with this!"

"... Yup, yup!" The giant's eyes started to shine with excitement, and his forehead was beaded with perspiration.

"Listen, if that damn Louvelier finds you and tries to get you down here again after you break out, I'll vouch for you. We'll go right to the Dean, Komui Lee, and set things straight."

"YESH! YESH!" Jacko lunged forward with great speed; unexpected for his size. With three body slams, he successfully broke down the door and a surge of students, both innocent and guilty, broke free.

"My, my Lavi," said Allen, catching up to the sprinting cellist, "your powers of speech are quite astounding."

"Compliment me all you want another time, kid. We've gotta find Yuu!"

It was already past six, and the school was deserted. The two youths decided to race back to the dorms were they were more likely to find the Japanese violinist. Panting, they reached the housing building shortly. Allen paused at the door, unsure of what to do, but Lavi began banging his hands roughly against the wood, shouting Kanda's name over and over.

"I can't hear anything inside, Lavi..." Allen pressed his ear closer and then stood back. "There's light coming from under the door! There's someone in there!"

Lavi rattled the doorknob violently, muscles straining. When he let go, Allen took over and did the same, panic flooding through his system.

_CRACK!_ The doorknob snapped off and they rushed into the vicinity. The first room was empty, and so was the kitchen and the fridge within it. The bathroom was empty. Closets overflowing with sheetmusic obstructed their path. Finally, they approached Kanda's bedroom. Bursting in, they found the Japanese youth collapsed on the ground besides his violin, unconscious and unmoving.

"KANDA!" yelled Lavi, rushing besides his friend and checking his pulse. It was extremely weak. "Allen, call 911!"

"G-gotcha." Allen dashed into the kitchen and grabbed the phone, swiftly dialing the emergency number. "Lavi! Bring him outside!"

Lavi called out to Allen, "Get a glass of water... Hurry!"

Allen obeyed and went into the bedroom, bending down to put the cup to Kanda's parched lips. Outside the ambulance sounded; the vehicle was parked right outside the building.

"I'll go and get them up here," said Lavi, already out the room.

"Kanda..." whispered Allen, tilting the cup forward. The violinist did not drink, and instead the liquid dripped wetly down his chin. Allen tried to pour more in, but to no avail. Suddenly, Kanda coughed, his body shaking. When the attack subsided, he muttered to himself, "Worthless... I'm... scared." Then he was absolutely silent and completely still.

Fear seized Allen "LAVI!" he screamed and propped Kanda up, moving him to the front of the apartment. The door opened and medics flew in, quickly strapping the black-haired youth onto a gurney, wheeling him out.

Lavi's pale face appeared in the doorway.

"Come on, Allen. We're going with him."

--

"Malnutrition, severe exhaustion, possible mental breakdown." The doctor continued down the list, but Allen didn't bother listening.

He and Lavi, hours later, were in Kanda's hospital room. It was close to midnight now, and the Japanese boy's face was deathly peaceful, his hair falling silkily into place. Kanda was safe. For now. And that was all that mattered.

"Thanks, doc, "sighed Lavi, rubbing his temples. "God, that was so freaking scary..."

"It's alright now, boys." The doctor smiled. "It's getting late. You two can go home now. We'll take care of Mr. Kanda for now. Get some rest; you've certainly done your parts tonight."

They both gave relieved little laughs, and bid the Doctor goodnight as he left the room.

"I guess we should go..." Lavi began, looking back at Kanda, unsure.

"Yeah, I guess."

Allen and Lavi were almost out of the hospital when he suddenly remembered something. "Lavi, you go on without me first! I'll get back later."

"Uh, sure." The exhausted redhead didn't bother to argue.

Allen ran back to Kanda's room, dodging nurses and the like. He quietly crept in and placed his music history notes, which he had so meticulously prepared, on the violinist's bedstand.

"Good night, Kanda."

--

As Allen was leaving, he passed the front desk, were two strangely garbed people were arguing with the receptionist.

"What the fuck do you mean we can't go see him?" A dark haired man wearing a fur hood glared angrily at the flustered woman behind the desk.

"You bitch, we have got every right to see 'im!" This time, a person with long, yellow hair and... _stitches_ over their mouth spoke.

"Uh, um, I'd be happy to let Mr. Kanda know that he had visitors."

Allen's ears perked up.

"Err, w-what are your names?" The receptionist seemed to shrink as the two people leaned in menacingly.

"Just let that brat know JasDevi dropped in. He'll get the message."

Allen quickly walked out of the lobby. He didn't want to stick around and possibly run into the pair, who were also leaving by now.

_JasDevi? What a strange name..._ Allen tried to gather his thoughts, but failed miserably as a feeling of great chagrin washed over him.


End file.
